Phantom
by marsdemon
Summary: the prize for my contest winner, Nox. Raped, mutilated and murdered, one by one...and when you know who your killer is, it is already too late...


AN: Remember that story I written a long time ago, "Hollow Oppression"? Well, I had people guess who the mysterious "He" person is. Two people who bothered to guess got it right, the mysterious "he" person is Seto. Just to clear up a misunderstanding, when Yugi says that He is everywhere, wherever he goes, like a shadow, I know it sounds like Yami, but what I meant by that, is that Seto is famous, anywhere Yugi goes he either sees something with the Kaiba Corp. logo on it, or Seto's picture, or something Seto designed, even in his home, there are plenty of items to remind him about Seto, that's what I meant by saying that the He person seems to be following Yugi. Anyways, the two people who guessed right were Nox, my old freaky friend, and Anubis times, congratulations. Second place was Mimiheart who made two guesses, first guess being Yami, but second guess being Seto.  
  
Ok, since Nox was the first one to guess and since he has already told me what story he wanted me to write, here it is, long overdue, it has taken me forever, but at least I did it, lol. Sorry Kevin dearest, you know me, I had to deal with too many issues to write for a while, but here ya go, hugs and kisses I'll keep to myself lest they turn into inappropriate groping, which in the end would probably result in virtual pain for me, lol, my precious sadistic friend, I still love ya.  
  
**Note:** The idea for this story was a request that grosses me out to the point where I actually like it, but still, I'm not responsible, so any flames you have, forward them to burnkill9hotmail.com , he is the one responsible for corrupting the Sailor Moon fandom, **little kiddies, run now**, this is not for you...probably not for me either, but here it goes.  
  
_Phantom_  
  
Raye was sitting at her little table late at night trying to finish studying for exams, where was Amy when you needed her, she just couldn't understand any of this! She sighed loudly, studying was just giving her a bad headache, plus, she couldn't even concentrate well, something was bothering her, an ominous feeling that she could not get rid of.  
  
Getting up Raye walked quietly out of the room intending to do a fire reading, something to ease her mind, perhaps maybe even tell her what this feeling was, maybe the negaverse was planning to attack again?  
  
Raye sat in front of the fire concentrating on the feeling, trying to find an answer for where it was coming from. She has been sitting for almost an hour and she never even noticed, the feeling, it was getting stronger, she was close, she could almost see the face.  
  
Suddenly, the fire flared up and in it Raye saw a face that she could not believe she was seeing.  
  
"It can't be!!!" she exclaimed in shock staring wide-eyed at the image in front of her. That face, she thought that she would never see it in her readings again!  
  
Suddenly Raye felt very anxious, she was alone in the house, grandpa and Chad were both out and would not come back till tomorrow afternoon, and the feeling, it was warning her, he was coming!  
  
She jumped up from the floor, how much time has she wasted?! Running out into the hallway she raced for the phone, she had to phone up the others, she would never be strong enough to match him alone, not even if she transformed.  
  
It was so much like a horror movie, the lights were out, the phone was dead, she was already scared, and she knew that he was coming for her. She had to leave and leave now!  
  
Throwing on a light coat Raye headed for the door only to stop at the head of the hallway, to door was wide open, and she knew that she has closed it. Cautiously Raye began taking quiet steps backwards, he could have not made it into the house, she would have heard him, he had to be still outside waiting for her to run out so he could catch her.  
  
She would have to leave through the back window, she would escape, she knew that he was coming, he could have not known that she knew, he was not expecting her to be prepared!  
  
She turned around ready to run back into the house when she collided with a firm chest. She screamed, a hand was clamped over her mouth. She bit it and tasted blood in her mouth, Raye struggled with all her might which was not much comparing to his, she could not even transform, she was prepared for him, and yet, he still has taken her by surprise.  
  
He dragged her back into her own room, her back hit the floor painfully, the door closed behind him, she tried to crawl away, there was nowhere left to run, he was too fast anyways.  
  
Her hands tied above her head, a dirty sock in her mouth to stop her from screaming, she could not stop him, no matter how violently she tried to twist out of his grasp, how hard she kicked, he has overpowered her. Moments later all she could feel was pain, all she wished for was that someone would stop him, it was torture on all levels, and it hurt so much, she felt violated, but not for long, physical pain had a way of erasing any emotional pain for the moment being, and she was hurting so much, it felt like she was being torn into pieces!  
  
Raye let out a silent scream, her body shuddering under the pressure of pain, and she prayed to all the gods she knew, that they would end it, anyways, she didn't care how, just as long as it ended.  
  
The next day dark news shook the whole community. A whole crowd gathered around Cherry Hill Temple, but they were not allowed in, the police cars were crowded closest to it, the ambulances were there too, but there were no need for them any more, it was now the job of the forensic scientists, not the paramedics.  
  
It was already late afternoon, but the crowd was still as thick, yellow tape keeping them away from what used to be a sanctuary for all to come to.  
  
A girl was found by her grandfather and his student, in her room, cold as ice, but she did not look cold, there was so much red, she didn't look cold any more. She was found naked, her clothing ripped off of her with animalistic fury, the floor of the room was spattered in her blood, her hands were tied up above her head, her raven hair stuck to the floor with dried blood, her breasts were split in two, the formerly warm, soft flesh falling apart in two.  
  
Her stomach was ripped open with a long vertical line and a short horizontal one in a shape of an upside down cross, her entire female organs were ripped out, the rest of her was horribly mutilated. The dirty sock was still in her mouth, her eyes were gauged out and in her forehead was carved a symbol of her power, Mars.  
  
The first conclusions that the forensics made was that this was definitely a sexually inclined murder, but even the experts who have seen plenty in their lives were horrified by the ferociousness of the crime. It was like a beast has ripped her apart, not a man.  
  
"she was raped and severely mutilated before she was killed, we suspect that he removed her organs even before she was dead, what a beast..." Serena heard the snippet of the report as she entered the Temple.  
  
Despite all the protests of the other scouts she insisted on going in, with the help of Luna Pen she looked like a young detective, she even had the ID of one. The stench of blood that hit her senses was all to familiar, she has smelled it battle in and battle out, she never thought that she would smell it in the home of her dear friend.  
  
"Miss! Miss, wait a minute, who are you?! You can't go in there!" some police officer was racing towards her, Serena's heart skipped, but she could not back out now.  
  
"I'm a detective" she showed him her "ID" "I would like to take a look at the crime scene before it is scraped clean"  
  
"Well, in that case, don't worry, you have plenty of time, will all that the forensics have to look at, it will be there for a while"  
  
Serena frowned pushing past him and walking towards the room where all the commotion was originated.  
  
Her face drained all color, it was pure shock that kept her from screaming and blowing her cover completely, her precious friend, the way she saw her, the image was edged into her mind forever, to never be erased, Raye...she was dead and in such a way, it made Serena wish that she would have died in her sleep that night and never have to witness this!  
  
The police officer stared strangely as the young "detective" barely glanced at the scene before she turned around and ran.  
  
"Rookie" he whispered and went back to his work.  
  
Serena wept for the rest of the day as she was barely able to describe to the rest what she has seen, it has been a shock to all of them, this, they never expected that this would ever happen!  
  
Darien held his precious angel as she cried in his arms watching the heartbreak of her and the rest of the scouts. Serena had no doubt in her head that it was the negaverse who has done that, the mark of Mars that she saw carved into Ray's forehead, only the negaverse would know what she was, such viciousness, it befitted them well!  
  
After Serena, Mina was the one to weep the most, Amy and Lita were sitting in some kind of dead shock, while the two blonds went hysterical. Night came and Lita managed to take the distraught Amy home. Serena has already cried herself into oblivion by the time the others have left and Darien with Darien sitting loyally by her side.  
  
The next morning, she woke up feeling dead inside, Darien was lying beside her, it was the only thing that kept her from breaking out in tears again, to wake up in his arms.  
  
"I love you! I love you! Gods, hold me, don't let go!" she launched at him with a kiss, the emotions building up, she was hardly thinking, the pain was so great she needed some way to let it out, she was thankful to all gods that he was there for her, that he didn't leave her that night, the others could take care of themselves, she needed him now.  
  
It was at the end of that day that another terrifying murder terrified the city. The news spread quickly, a second murder of the same nature, yet another girl found dead, raped and mutilated in her home.  
  
The remaining scouts were devastated even more then before, but now, they were not only devastated for their dead friends, they were also afraid, afraid for their own lives, someone was trying to eliminate them, one by one, and there was no clues. Amy has scanned the areas a thousand times over for traces of negaverse energy and found none, they were in shock, they didn't know who their enemy was, the police had even less clue, and most of all, they didn't know who's turn it was next.  
  
Serena has taken the death of her friends the hardest, in two days, two of her best friends were dead in the most gruesome of ways, Lita was taking it hard too. She was blaming herself and Darien, herself because she has left Mina in the house alone when she left with Amy, and Darien because he was too preoccupied with his precious Serena who was safe at home while Mina walked the streets by herself. According to Lita, the murderer must've followed her while she was alone and unprotected, but in the end, there really was no one to blame, they were just scared angry girls trying to find some sense in what was happening.  
  
Amy was working on her computer, trying to find out what happened, thanks to Serena's ability to transform into a forensic scientist and enter a crime scene, they got samples that Amy was now analyzing. She was trying to work as fast as she could, the murderer was a rapist, and she knew what she was looking for, she wasn't trying to match the DNA, but she was trying to identify the energy, something that she could trace to the right person.  
  
She has already identified the particular energy signature, all that was left to do was trace it to the right man and they had their murderer. It has taken her all night as it was, she has insisted that Lita would stay with Serena, it was safer that way, Darien was helping her, he was currently out in the city trying to get a better signal for her, so she can scan the maximum area at once, she had his location on her screen, he has found a good place for the scan.  
  
Almost instantly the computer alert popped up, she has found her man so soon?!!! Downloading the data Amy waited anxiously, in moments she would see the face of the one who has done that to Raye and Mina. The screen blinked and an image was downloaded.  
  
Amy's eyes widened when she saw the face displayed before her, if she had known what happened in Cherry Hill Temple right before Ray's death, she would know that she was now replaying Raye's demise. Her thoughts were the same, the phone was dead too, the cable snapped, she ran for the door, but she never made it out of the apartment complex.  
  
She screamed, a hand was clamped over her mouth. She bit it and tasted blood in her mouth, Amy struggled with all her might which was not much comparing to his, she could not even transform, she was prepared for him, and yet, he still has taken her by surprise.  
  
He dragged her back into her own room, her back hit the floor painfully, the door closed behind him, she tried to crawl away, there was nowhere left to run, he was too fast anyways.  
  
Her hands tied above her head, a dirty sock in her mouth to stop her from screaming, she could not stop him, no matter how violently she tried to twist out of his grasp, how hard she kicked, he has overpowered her. Moments later all she could feel was pain, all she wished for was that someone would stop him, it was torture on all levels, and it hurt so much, she felt violated, but not for long, physical pain had a way of erasing any emotional pain for the moment being, and she was hurting so much, it felt like she was being torn into pieces!  
  
Amy let out a silent scream, her body shuddering under the pressure of pain, and she prayed to all the gods she knew, that they would end it, anyways, she didn't care how, just as long as it ended.  
  
It was becoming a routine, shock after shock fell upon their heads, now, not even Lita had any more strength in her to blame anyone, not even herself, she was just as scared as Serena was...well, one couldn't tell if Serena was scared, when the news of Amy's death hit her, she went strangely quiet and she hasn't spoken since. Not even Darian, with his protective arms around her, his sweet words and reassuring tones could not get her to respond, it was like her mind shut down.  
  
"Darien, Amy has left with you, where the hell were you?! Why didn't you protect her?!" Lita suddenly snapped.  
  
"I was out in the city, she wanted to scan a bigger area all at once, so she sent me out there to place this somewhere high." Darien looked lost as he showed Lita the device that Amy handed him earlier. "She has been working all night, and it's a slow process, she said she would call my cell phone when the scan was finished, I figured it was taking a long time, so I waited until morning. When it became light, I got worried, but when I got back, the police cars were already there."  
  
"The report says that her neighbour saw the door open and discovered the body." Lita covered her face with her hands, she was crying silently.  
  
"I'm sorry..." Darien whispered pressing Serena closer to himself as if trying to shield her away from whomever was trying to kill them.  
  
"No...I'm sorry..." Lita sobbed out for the first time "it must be even harder for you knowing that you weren't there while she was being killed, I'm sorry...I should not have said anything..." she tried to wipe her eyes before anyone saw her tears. "We have to get Amy's laptop, the scan must've been running, with luck, no one has to die any more, we have to know who is doing this, we have to get that computer!" she stood up ready to leave, hen looked at Darien who was still holding Serena.  
  
"I don't want to go." He said simply not letting go of his charge.  
  
"What do you mean you don't want to go, we have to get that damn laptop, don't you care?!"  
  
"I do...I..." he squeezed Serena's unresponsive body closer to him.  
  
"Oh Darien...I know you don't want to leave her, but trust me, she'll be ok, we'll close all the doors and windows, she'll be safe, and her parents are coming back in the morning, they heard about the murders, they are racing back to be with her, don't worry, she'll be safe, and if we find out who the murderer is, we can protect her, c'mon, you've gotta help me!"  
  
Slowly Darien pealed himself away from Serena who fell limply on her bed not even responding to his kisses. They left shutting the door and making sure it is locked. They made it to Amy's apartment, the yellow tape and the police cars were a reminder of yet another horrible loss that they have suffered.  
  
They have both transformed, Darien was going to create a diversion, Lita was going to go in and get the laptop, they worked out a sketchy plan of action, it was not perfect, but then again, they were dealing with police here, not the negaverse, at least at the moment they were.  
  
Lita jumped out of the window clutching the laptop, it was closed on the table where she found it. She wasn't sure what she was running from more, the possibility of police returning or catching her, or the remains of the crime scene that were still very evident in the room. She was feeling nauseated, how could Serena have gone in there twice before, was beyond her, no wonder she was in such a shock.  
  
'Serena, dearest, don't worry, we'll find the creep, it's going to be ok...' but she knew that it would never be ok, the fiends that they have lost were irreplaceable.  
  
She met with Darien on a rooftop, he has easily lost the police.  
  
"I'll go home and finish what Amy started...you probably should go check on Serena..." Lita was feeling edgy.  
  
Darien didn't look better, he looked bothered, on edge, Lita guessed that he must be worried about Serena, and she hated herself for what she was about to ask but she was scared to death, beside Serena, she was the only one left.  
  
"Actually...Darien..." she called when he looked like he was about to leave "could you...I mean, could you please walk me home?" her lower lip trembled, she felt like crying, in her hands, she held the identity of the killer and with it, she felt like a magnet drawing him in, she felt like the fact that she had that information in her hands, will miraculously draw him in to her, he would kill her before she could find out, if he wasn't already following her, he would be now. She didn't want to be alone, and after all, wouldn't the murderer rather go after her and not Serena when she was so close at finding out who he was.  
  
Lita wasn't sure how the killer was supposed to know that she had this information, she just felt like the laptop was glowing a bright red light in her hands and that everyone would be able to see it in her hands and know what it was.  
  
"Oh...sure..." Lita could tell that her request changed Darien's plans, she was sure that he was planning to go to Serena and protect her, but she couldn't help it, she felt like she needed his protection now more then Serena did.  
  
They walked all the way to Lita's apartment in silence. Once inside Lita didn't bother doing anything else, the first thing on her mind was finding out who killed her friends, she turned the laptop on and sat down to work. Almost instantly she has gotten the result, and while the information was downloading, she wondered, why would Amy not have called Darien if she has gotten her match right away, unless she was killed before she got the match...but then, why would the murderer leave the program running?  
  
He must've not have been that smart, for all negaverse is good for, they must've not been that good if they could not tell what Amy had been doing. Perhaps, she should have let Darien go check on Serena after all, if the killer didn't know what the laptop was before, surely he would not have known that Lita having it in possession was of any significance.  
  
The download was completed and the image came up on the screen. Lita's eyes widened, her face went pale, her body stiffened.  
  
"Oh my God..." she whispered.  
  
Serena raced out of her house through the night. She was terrified. It has taken her some time to realize that she was alone, and she didn't want to be alone, she should not have let them leave her, she should have come with them, she didn't want to die too!  
  
Nearly panicking she ran towards Lita's house, she didn't remember ever running so fast, she could almost feel the murderer watching her, any moment now he would pounce on her, she was so scared!  
  
She raced up the porch and flung the door open, tears were once again running her pale face.  
  
"Lita!!! Darien!!!" she yelled as she ran for Lita's room, the pale glow of the laptop illuminating the hallway from beneath the wide crack under the door.  
  
Serena flung that door open and saw Darien facing with his back to her. He turned around quickly, too quickly, moment later Serena flung herself into his arms and buried her face into his chest crying. His arms came up around her, silent comfort that she craved so much.  
  
It took moments for her to register the scent so familiar to her as of late, blood...it's coppery taste, it was so thick in the air that she could almost taste it in her mouth. Until she realized, that it really was in her mouth, Darien's shirt was soaked in blood.  
  
Serena's eyes widened, she looked beyond him and saw what happened through the eyes of her dying friend. She screamed, a hand was clamped over her mouth. She bit it and tasted blood in her mouth, Lita struggled with all her might which was not much comparing to his, she could not even transform, she was prepared for him, and yet, he still has taken her by surprise.  
  
Her back hit the floor painfully, the door closed behind him, she tried to crawl away, there was nowhere left to run, he was too fast anyways.  
  
Her hands tied above her head, a dirty sock in her mouth to stop her from screaming, she could not stop him, no matter how violently she tried to twist out of his grasp, how hard she kicked, he has overpowered her. Moments later all she could feel was pain, all she wished for was that someone would stop him, it was torture on all levels, and it hurt so much, she felt violated, but not for long, physical pain had a way of erasing any emotional pain for the moment being, and she was hurting so much, it felt like she was being torn into pieces!  
  
Lita let out a silent scream, her body shuddering under the pressure of pain, and she prayed to all the gods she knew, that they would end it, anyways, she didn't care how, just as long as it ended.  
  
Moment's later, Lita was dead, her green clear eyes becoming glassy and fogged up. Serena shook in Darien's arms, she could see it happening to her, was that a vision, or could she simply see the pain of her friend in the last moments of her life?  
  
"You?!!! How could you?!!!" she whispered in cold shock...Darien, he betrayed them... "BEAST!!!" she screamed but instead of a hand his mouth was clamped over hers, the same mouth she has kissed so many times now tasted of blood.  
  
"Don't worry precious, I would never do that to you...you are safe, safe from pain...forever..." he whispered in her year, a dagger tore through her heart and in a flash she saw all the pain of all four of her friends, as their blood that was on that dagger mingled with hers, plunged straight into her heart. And she has betrayed them too, worse then he did, because while he was mad, she was sane and still loved him... 


End file.
